Poisoned Gift (Futa Academy Book 3) Read online

  Amabel smirked, then smiled when Gretchen reached for her and kissed her, gently.

  Monique smiled slightly, but she was still unsettled by the whole thing, and stopped for a few moments to contemplate the headmistress’s words, trying to ignore the dampness between her legs. “Were we…” She started, then stopped and gathered herself. “Were we put on your team as food? For you?” She turned to gaze at Gretchen.

  The succubus licked her lips before answering. “Yes.” She surged when Monique’s eyes focused on hers. “I had nothing to do with it, but she didn’t hide the fact when I first met her. You guys were supposed to keep me fed, once she had control over me.” She turned and smiled at Amabel, and the blonde smiled back. “She wasn’t counting on my girl here, however.”

  It was almost sweet the manner in which Gretchen talked about Amabel, but in that moment Monique was too worried thinking about something else to appreciate it. Her hands were trembling, and as she looked down at them she started to realize just how close she had come to a fate worse than death.

  If Amabel hadn’t been there to save Gretchen, or if the succubus was as monstrous as most of the tales about her kind made them seem, she wouldn’t be free right now. She would be a puppet, controlled by lust and desire, willing to do anything for the other woman without ever getting a choice about it.

  It was daunting.

  And that wasn’t the only scary thing about the whole situation. Without meaning to, Monique let her eyes wander in Amabel’s direction, and she studied her roommate for the hundredth time. What was she? Who was she, to be able to scare someone as powerful and dangerous as the succubus that fooled everyone into making her headmistress of Fortuna?

  Monique didn’t know how to answer that question, and couldn’t say it didn’t bother her. The only comfort was that, for now, Amabel and Gretchen were on her side. Unfortunately, she was aware that might change in the future, even with the alliance she and Gretchen crafted.

  Chapter 2

  “Today, we’ll be talking about spells related to gathering information.” Kaita’s voice echoed through the room, assisted by magic, but Gretchen had gotten so used to the trick it didn’t impress her anymore. Not that it had impressed her much at first, but it did surprise her the first time. “From spells to reveal cloaked objects, to using the wind to carry other’s conversations to you, or carrying your messages to others, magic has been used to spy and discover that which is hidden for as long as we have been using it.”

  Though Kaita wasn’t one of the boring professors, and most of the time she didn’t mind his classes, Gretchen found her focus drifting to the girl at her side, and sincerely she didn’t even try to fight it. Her lover was the most perfect thing in the whole world after all, and she could stand there looking at Amabel forever if need be.

  More than once, Amabel noticed her attention and smiled at her, before nudging her and trying to make her pay attention to class. It didn’t work, Gretchen always found her attention returning back to her beloved.

  She almost sighed, only holding back when she realized it would make her seem like a lovesick teenager. Which she couldn’t deny completely, she was reminded, but she didn’t exactly want to admit that. Oh, it was obvious Amabel knew, just as she knew the blonde was in love with her, but it was still different to admit it out loud.

  Someone coughed, right beside her, and Gretchen turned, finding professor Kaita glancing at her. She froze, momentarily, then raised an eyebrow at him. He frowned, but didn’t say anything and continued with the lesson. Gretchen almost smirked, but then Amabel nudged her, harder than before, and glared at her, and the succubus sighed and tried to focus.

  She failed. Usually she paid attention to class, most of the time at least, but lately everything she tried had been so easy that she started to think it wasn’t worth it to waste time in class. She could simply pick the brain of her roommates and learn through them, and use the free time to research topics they probably wouldn’t talk about in class. Not that Amabel would let her do that. And a more rational part of Gretchen knew that would be a mistake.

  Sure, for now their lessons weren’t that advanced, tailored to a broader understanding, but eventually that would change, eventually they would have to pick more advanced subjects and she would need good scores to enter whatever field she chose. It was hard to remember that when she was bored out of her mind, though.

  Without meaning to, she let her eyes start to rove over the students. She tried not to look at her lover, for fear of alerting her, and just studied the people around her. Most of them were entranced by the professor’s words, some visibly struggling to understand what he meant, others nodding as they took notes. A couple of them were just as visibly bored as Gretchen felt, and she made a mental note of mentioning them later to Amabel, when her lover inevitably complained about her lack of attention. She wasn’t the only one distracted.

  The succubus managed to regain enough focus to eventually pay attention to the last minutes of the class.

  “And so, I have a task for you.” She looked at the professor, watching as his eyes roved over the students, stopping momentarily on her. “You will gather in groups of two or three, and venture into the catacombs beneath the school.”

  Murmuring rose almost immediately around the room, and Gretchen raised an eyebrow. So far, all they had done on the practical side was try some spells on their own. Kaita seemed to want to shake things a little.

  “Settle down.” He ordered when the noise reached an uncomfortable level, and slowly they did so. “You won’t actually be in any danger. The catacombs are used as a practice ground for many types of spells. I’ll have some of my colleagues spell them and we’ll make a game out of it.”

  “What would that game consist of?” Someone asked, and the professor shrugged.

  “I haven’t decided yet. Maybe you’ll have to find your way out after entering, or find some enchanted bauble inside. I’ll see about that later. For now, form your groups and spend the weekend preparing, study the spells I told you about today, and if you need you know where to find me.”

  With that, he ended the lesson, and they started to get to their feet.

  Gretchen turned to Amabel. “Me and you?” She asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer. Amabel smiled, then grew serious as she looked over Gretchen’s shoulder. The succubus turned, wondering what her lover had seen.

  Professor Kaita stood behind her, and she doubted it was anything good. “Yes?”

  He looked between them before focusing on Gretchen’s face. “I presume you two intend to group together?”

  Gretchen only raised an eyebrow. “Obviously.”

  “I would prefer you not to.”

  “Why the hell not?” She asked, angrily, and only settled down when Amabel grabbed her elbow, comforting her with the touch.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” He asked, and this time it was his eyebrow that rose. Gretchen realized then he didn’t like her, or at least her attitude, and she had to breathe a little harder before she did something she might regret. “You two distract each other, and I would prefer my students to pay attention to what I’m trying to teach them.”

  Gretchen opened her mouth, and was about to tell him where he could shove his lessons, but before any sound escaped her, Amabel pulled her away, just a little bit.

  “Don’t worry professor.” The blonde’s voice was soft, and Gretchen shuddered a little, loving it as always. “We won’t trouble you further, and do as you recommend.”

  Kaita looked at Amabel for some moments, and eventually nodded when she smiled at him.

  Gretchen wanted to punch him in the face for it all, but Amabel didn’t allow her to, and dragged her out of the classroom. “You should have let me punch him.” She complained when they got out, looking over her shoulder, seeing her professor leaving.

  “And let you get expelled?” Amabel questioned.

  “Romanovna wouldn’t expel me, she needs me here.”

  “Yes, she does, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t use that chance to punish you, maybe get you away from me and attack.” Amabel’s words made Gretchen fidget for a few moments, until she eventually nodded.

  She knew Amabel was right, but she was angry. She hated the thought of being away from Amabel, and she hated people ordering her. Kaita had done both, and she knew Amabel would follow the professor’s suggestion. Sure, it would only be for the duration of the exercise, but it bothered her nonetheless.

  Amabel smiled at her. The blonde knew her better than Gretchen imagined someone ever would, and understood what worried her. The succubus tried to huff, but relented when her lover pressed against her and just relaxed into Amabel’s hold.

  “We can use this, you know?” Amabel started after a while, and Gretchen just raised an eyebrow, asking without speaking. “You could try to partner with Marina. That might convince her we aren’t trying to put her aside.”

  Gretchen sighed. “Do I have to?”

  Amabel just gave her a look, and she ended up sighing again. Whatever her lover wanted, her lover got.

  It wasn’t that Gretchen couldn’t see the advantage of having Marina by their side, even if she knew that wasn’t what was worrying Amabel. The blonde wanted to be friends with Marina.

  The succubus didn’t particularly like the other girl, and she would refuse to admit it was because they were too similar. She didn’t have a use for Marina, and the other woman didn’t have any use for her. In truth, they just didn’t click. For Amabel, and her smile, Gretchen would try to make amends.

  She could see the exact moment the blonde realized she had won their argument, and pettiness almost made her change her mind, but in the end having Amabel happy was more important than her own pride.

  It didn’t take them long to reach their room, and to find their roommates already inside. Gretchen exchanged another look with Amabel, and eventually sighed, turning to Marina and Monique. “Have you picked your groups? For Kaita’s test…”

  The two girls exchanged looks before shaking their heads. Gretchen could see their surprise that she was even asking them, when she barely made any small talk with them, and she tried to contain her annoyance at being forced into doing it.

  “Would you like to be my partner?” She asked Marina, smiling sweetly. It was a sudden thought, that maybe she could use the opportunity to make Amabel jealous, and force her to regret the whole thing.

  Marina became even more confused at her request and smile, and Gretchen looked over her shoulder, back to Amabel, hoping to see her reaction. The smile in Amabel’s lips bothered her for some reason, and she just watched as the blonde walked past her and stopped beside Monique, leaning down to whisper something in her hear.

  If she was thinking straight, she would have realized Amabel was paying her back in kind, just trying to make her jealous, but the blonde’s attempt was perfect and Gretchen couldn’t focus past the loud noise of her heart beating in her chest. Without meaning to, she tightened her hands, trying to resist the urge to move forward and throttle Monique, especially once Amabel sat at her side.

  The tension in the room became thick, and Monique glanced from Amabel to Gretchen and back again, then exchanged a look with Marina.

  “Sure, I could do that.” The dark-haired girl said eventually, then got to her feet and started moving towards the entrance. “I need a book from the library, to prepare I mean.”

  Monique jumped to her feet. “I’ll go with her.”

  Gretchen knew they were trying to avoid her, and her glare, but she didn’t care. She kept her eyes on her teasing girlfriend, waiting until both Monique and Marina left the room before focusing on the blonde. “What was that?” She tried to appear calm, but her voice came out angry.

  Oh, deep down, she was aware this was the reaction Amabel was trying to provoke her into, payback for her attempt to make the blonde jealous, but Gretchen wasn’t feeling very rational right then. She saw the smile peeking at the corner of Amabel’s mouth as she advanced, and almost pouted at her girl, before jumping on top of her.

  Amabel shrieked, and the two of them rolled over Monique’s bed, only stopping when Gretchen found herself safely on top, gazing down into blue eyes. She didn’t have the words to describe what she felt every time she looked into those orbs. Her heart would start beating faster, her breath would become harsher, and she couldn’t think about anything but the woman those eyes belonged to.

  She pressed one hand against the blonde’s cheek, caressing for some moments, loving the way Amabel’s eyes fluttered close. She used the chance to lean down and press her lips against her beloved’s, and felt her own eyes fluttering close without meaning to. Amabel’s hands on her body made her open them again, and she smiled at the blonde.

  They couldn’t hold back, no matter how much part of them said they should.

  Gretchen let Amabel take off her top, helped her even, and then pressed herself against the blonde, wanting to feel the other’s warmth on her. They kissed again, and she let her hands wander.

  Amabel arched when Gretchen grabbed her rear and held tightly, trying to press against the raven-haired woman, grasping that dark hair with a hand and gripping it tight, forcing their mouths harder against one another’s.

  Gretchen just moaned in reply, and deepened the kiss.

  They kissed and caressed and touched each other, trying to incite lust and desire. Gretchen had to struggle to hold her abilities back, wanting Amabel to desire her without any interference from her succubus’s nature, trying to ignore the hardness that slowly built between her legs. Though not as uncomfortable with her rod as she had been at first, she couldn’t say she was used to it. Oh, she and Amabel had strived to use it as many times as they could since they had been together, but it was still recently new, and it had changed her body irrevocably.

  Gretchen started baring Amabel, and the blonde replied in kind, and they only stopped when they were both nude.

  She had no shame, and studied Amabel without complexes, her heart beating faster when she thought that the blonde belonged to her. She didn’t care that the door wasn’t locked, and anyone could enter their room without even knocking, part of her even wished something like that could happen. She was a succubus, and no matter how much she tried not to let it influence her thoughts, she wasn’t human, she didn’t let herself be held back by human sensibilities.

  Amabel smiled, and Gretchen couldn’t resist the temptation to lean down and taste her mouth. The kiss started soft, but it became heated in short order, with hands roving over curves, and moans escaping from mouths.

  The succubus stopped for a moment, simply to appreciate her partner’s beauty. She would give anything to spend her life like that, besides Amabel, feeling her warm presence against her side. She would fight for it until she couldn’t.

  Their next kiss was hard and desperate, and she thrust her tongue inside Amabel’s mouth, dueling with the blonde’s tongue, trying to dominate her. Her angel didn’t let her win that easily though, and moved against her, trying to turn them around. She succeeded eventually, and Gretchen moaned when those lips abandoned hers, but then stilled when she looked at Amabel’s face.

  The blonde was smirking, but that wasn’t what made Gretchen still. It was the look in Amabel’s eyes, the desire and lust she saw in those blue orbs. The thought that she could make someone like Amabel desire her so made her shudder, and the blonde used that moment of weakness, used the opportunity Gretchen gave her to lean down and lay a peck on the succubus’s lips.

  She didn’t linger for long though, much to Gretchen’s despair. She trailed left and kissed the corner of Gretchen’s mouth, then her cheek and throat. She licked and played with Gretchen’s collarbone, making the woman beneath her shift with desire.

  Gretchen reached out and grabbed her lover, trying to pull her into a kiss, but Amabel didn’t let her.

  The blonde kept teasing her, starting to let her hands wander over Gretchen’s body, and stopping when she stood above the succubus’s breasts. Gretchen shuddered and arched when those lips fell upon her peaks, licking and caressing, suckling lightly, and she moaned, desperately, hoping Amabel would stop playing around.

  She wasn’t that lucky.

  Amabel played with her, she teased and made her beg, and only after a long, long time did she consent to allow Gretchen to feel what she wanted.

  The succubus only shuddered when she felt the other woman trail down. She did arch from the bed once more, when Amabel grasped her hardness and started pumping, but for the most part she let herself be. She was exhausted from Amabel’s teasing, and the only thing she wanted was pleasure.

  Fortunately, Amabel gave it to her.

  The two of them had each other several times, caressing and kissing, touching and moaning, and Gretchen loved it. She loved it when Amabel climbed atop of her and their bodies united as one, she adored when the other woman turned around and she was the one that made them move, made them shudder with every thrust of her hips.

  They clutched at each other between bouts, warm and content, safe in each other’s arms, until eventually they were too tired to continue, and they just enjoyed the comfort one could provide the other.

  “I think Monique’s going to kill us.” Amabel whispered sometime after they finished, leaning forward to whisper it in Gretchen’s ear.

  The proximity made the succubus shudder in something like desire and want, but she was too exhausted to do anything else. She frowned at first, when she processed Amabel’s words, then looked around the room and remembered they weren’t on their beds, but on the blue-haired woman’s. She started giggling, and Amabel followed her, the two of them drunk in their love.

  Chapter 3

  “Couldn’t they afford a little bit of cleaning down here?” Gretchen complained, having to brush away yet another spider web out of her way. It was obvious not even Fortuna would waste resources to clean away some catacombs, but then Gretchen didn’t really care about it.